


"Since when are we going to prom?" [silence] "...shit. I forgot to ask you."

by drowninginchamomiletea



Series: Me gay bmc bois [5]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: F/F, Other, SEE THE SUMMARY FOR ALL MY USUAL BULLSHIT, This is the fuzziest boundary between fluff and smut I have ever seen, Trans Jeremy Heere, and i wrote it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 14:13:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12037590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drowninginchamomiletea/pseuds/drowninginchamomiletea
Summary: coughs loudlysome alternative titles: "this is the most g rated smut you will ever read"; "advice for a healthy relationship from your friendly neighborhood kid with 0 experience"; "in which michael inexplicably starts speaking tagalog (see notes for explanation)"; "I WROTE 90% OF THIS OVERNIGHT AFTER FORGETTING MY INSOMNIA MEDS"; "i'm　ｌｉｖｉｎｇ"; "IM WHEEZING"; "NOT THE POKEMON"; "the ultimate in self-projection"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Why does Michael suddenly speak some Tagalog?? Three things: 1. I headcanon Filipino adopted mikey with his playful gay moms 2. I love other languages especially south Asian ones they're beautiful 3. I firmly believe that being monolingual is practically a speech impediment! Learning and exploring foreign languages is not only good for your brain and your understanding of the world and other cultures, but it's just a lot of fun too!!! Wow why does every passionate rant I go on end up sounding like a PSA? 
> 
> [DISCLAIMER: I'm about as white as they come; brown hair, blue eyes, freckles, all them Finnish and German and Irish roots. I used Google Translate and some of my own digging around and research to get a basic understanding of the Tagalog phrases and words I used in this. Please tell me if I made any mistakes or misused a phrase or a word or anything!! I don't intend any harm by it! If there are any Tagalog speakers passing through who notice an error, please feel free to educate me!! I love learning, I love languages, I love how interconnected it all is... So please! Share what you know! That's all. Thanks!]
> 
> EDIT 9/15/2017: Hey so I just added in a more detailed prom that I've been writing for a few days now, and fixed a couple spots that were a bit awkward!! Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> EDIT 9/26/2017: I just changed the rating from T to M bc you can never be too careful and I don't want any unexpected triggers!!
> 
> EDIT 12/30/2017: Hi I went through up to the first M scene and decreased Jere's stuttering to be a little more comprehensible. I'll do the rest some other time
> 
> EDIT 3/23/2018: ALL STUTTERING HAS BEEN FIXED!! It is now realistic and comprehensible! Keep in mind that I headcanon that Jere has a chronic stutter, so it's not just to express nervousness or anything.  
> It's really late and I'm skiing tomorrow morning what am I DOING
> 
> **BIG EDIT 4/24/2018: Split it up into three chapters! Much more manageable now. *sigh of relief***

Jeremy sat in his room, idly playing Frogger. It was a Saturday evening, his homework was done, and he was at peace with the w—

His phone began to play the AOTD title theme. Pausing his game, he picked up.

"Y-yo."

Michael sounded rushed and a bit nervous.

"Hey, what color should I wear for prom?"

Jeremy frowned, utterly confused.

"Uh... W-what? Why're you asking m-me?"

"We're supposed to match, right? So what color were you gonna wear?"

"Wh... S-since when are we g-going t-to prom?"

The line was silent. Just when Jeremy was about to ask if Michael was still there, he heard a whispered curse.

"Shit. I forgot to ask you."

Jeremy sat in stunned silence, blood roaring in his ears, feeling dizzy.

"Wh... What...?! You... Y-you wanna... Wha... W-woah... F-fuck I might th-throw up—" He stumbled across the room and barely made it to the trash can before regurgitating his dinner.

Michael felt similarly sick, but had a stronger stomach than his friend. Crush. Date? Whatever.

Hands trembling violently, he lost his grip on his phone. He didn't bother to pick it up off the floor, though, simply watching as the screen timed out. He sank down to sit on his bed.

Jeremy's entire body was shaking. He was on his hands and knees, staring unseeingly at the carpet. Holy _shit_. Michael was—! He'd—!

His phone was still gripped in his right hand. No. That wasn't the right thing to do here. He leapt up, still pale and weak, and ran downstairs.

"I-I'll b-be b-back," he said shakily to his dad as he sprinted through the front room. He coasted through tying his shoes on autopilot, then leapt out the front door, jumping onto the scooter that was leaning against the house.

Michael stared at his shivering hands. How the _hell_ did _this_ happen?!

 _Just my luck,_ he thought numbly.

"M-M-Michael!!" Jeremy had completely lost control of his stutter. He burst into Michael's room, still wearing his shoes.

Michael looked up, grinning weakly, and suddenly realized there were tears running down his face. His voice had an awful vibrato when he spoke.

"H-hey, Jeremy. W... Wassup...?"

"W-will y-you g-go t-to prom w-with me?!?" Jeremy all but shouted, falling to his knees.

Michael laughed, terrified, taking off his glasses and running a hand through his hair.

"Wh- _what!?"_ He replaced his glasses on his nose and gaped disbelievingly at Jeremy.

"P-prom! U-us! Y-you and me!!"

"Oh my god, holy shit, fuck, fuck, fuck, I imagined this moment so many times, you don't even know, but oh god I didn't expect it t-to be nearly this hard to _breathe_ , holy hell, oh my shit, god, damn, wha—!! S-someone, I-I—Oh my god...!!" A panicked, jumbled string of curses flowed from his mouth. He looked around wildly, but found no help. Finally, as always, his eyes were drawn back to Jeremy. Said teen looked nearly as shaken up as Michael felt.

"P- _please,"_ he breathed. Then, in a proper speaking voice, he added desperately, "M-Michael, th-there's no one else I'd r-rather sp-spend my s-senior prom night w-with!"

"W-woah, what?! Y-you're—"

"S-serious? D-dead!"

"But so th-then—"

"J-just _answer_ m-me, p- _please_ , d-dammit!!"

"Ju—! I mean, I—! _YES!!"_

Jeremy stumbled to his feet and lurched towards Michael. Michael stood and caught him before either of their knees could give out again.

"Woah, I gotcha... Oh my god, I... I might need to... To sit back down, I... Wow."

"H-how long h-have you w-wanted to—?"

"Oh god, _forever."_

"I j- _just_ realized... W-when you... S-something just... C- _clicked."_

"S-so, uh," Michael laughed, giddy. "What c-color _are_ we gonna wear?"

"Oh my G-God, I g-gotta t-tell m-my dad," Jeremy said, pulling out his phone and dialing his father. "...h-hey, y-yeah, uh...!!"  
Michael watched Jeremy wrap an arm around his milk chocolate curls, the ends of his nerves a bit fried.

"D-D-Dad! S-stop for a s-second!! I-I-I— J-Jesus, I'm g-going to p-prom with M-Michael!! ...y-yeah!! I know! Y-yeah, w-we won't f-forget. B-bye!" He hung up with a trembling finger. "I c-can stay the n-night," he said, grinning, still looking vaguely shell-shocked.

"C-can I just." Michael pulled Jeremy into another hug, this time soft and warm instead of frantic and stumbling. Jeremy enthusiastically returned the gesture.

"C-Christ, if this is the f-furthest we're g-going after thirteen years, I g-guess I can expect a p-pretty quiet prom night?"

"Sh-shuddup," Michael mumbled, pulling his head back a few inches. He looked Jeremy in the eyes, and he felt his cheeks stinging with color at what he was about to ask. "C-can I... Kiss you...?"

Instead of answering verbally, Jeremy leaned his face in towards Michael's and closed the gap.

Sparks flew across Michael's face—literally, as far as he was concerned. His mouth worked against Jeremy's, desperately seeking more sensory input. His cheeks were searing with heat, but this was better than any blush-inducing daydream because this was _real_.

Just after their tongues started to get involved, Jeremy gently pushed Michael backwards onto the bed and slipped his hands beneath Michael's shirt. As Jeremy hooked his thumbs around Michael's back two belt loops, Michael's hands found their way beneath Jeremy's shirt. They crept up his back until a fingertip brushed against the smooth fabric of Jeremy's binder and the reality of what was happening suddenly crashed down on Michael. He rolled over so that instead of Jeremy laying on top of him, they were both laying on their sides.

"O-oh my god, I'm—! S-sorry?! I—!!"

"W-woah, i-it's okay, I—Woah. J-jeez, t-talk about s-sexual tension."

"Yeah... But... H-hey, if this is— How it's gonna be, then— We— Er, I gotta know... How... Or, uh... Are you okay with this...? With— With— Y'know, h-how you are..."

Jeremy pulled himself closer to Michael's chest.

"I... I d-dunno," he whispered. "M-maybe what just happened i-is as f-far as I'm willing t-to go... I-it's just... I-it f-feels h-horrible th-that I c-can't l-love you l-like I w-want to... B-because I-I'm—I'm ph-physically wr- _wrong!!_ I h-h- _hate_ it!"

"H-hey..." Michael said, gently rubbing Jeremy's back. "You're beautiful. In every way. I'm sure even the stuff I haven't seen about you is beautiful. A-are y-you wearing a packer?" he added softly. Jeremy shook his head.

"I d-don't u-usually... On w-weekends..."

Michael took a deep breath.

"C-can I... T-touch you? Just through your jeans," he added hurriedly, terrified he'd said the wrong thing. Jeremy was still for what seemed like a very long time before slowly, hesitantly nodding. "You sure? I don't wanna do anything that'll make you uncomfortable or—"

"I t-trust y-you."

"Okay... If y-you're sure. Just— Tell me if I should stop, right?"

"Y-yeah."

Michael moved his right hand from Jeremy's back to between his legs. He could tell how hard Jeremy was trying to relax.

"I love you, Jeremy... You're perfect," he whispered, gingerly pressing along the crotch of Jeremy's jeans. Jeremy shivered, but said nothing. Michael tried a few slightly different places, eliciting various small reactions from Jeremy, whose face was still buried in Michael's chest. All the while, Michael murmured compliments and reassurances.

Suddenly, he seemed to hit a very sensitive spot just right, making Jeremy gasp and his entire form tremble like a leaf in the wind.

"Ok-kay," he said breathlessly, "st-stop, that's... W- _wow."_

"Okay," Michael whispered, wrapping his right arm back around Jeremy. "I'm stopping."

"Th-thanks f-for..." _For respecting my limits and boundaries, for being so polite, for... For loving me. For showing me that I_ can _be loved, if just a little._

"No prob. I love you."

"I l-love you t-too..."

They fell asleep, arms around each other, soon after.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom

"Oh, g-god, how do I look? I look f-fucking terrible, don't I, I just kn-know it—"

"You look quite spiffy, son. Don't be so hard on yourself," Mr. Heere smiled proudly. "Look at my little sport, all mature in his suit... You've become quite the handsome young man."

"Sh-shuddup, D-Dad..." Jeremy mumbled, red-faced, though he was grinning.

"Now, remember, curfew is—"

"O-one."

"No—"

"D-drinking, unless someone s-spikes the punch and I d-don't notice. No dr-drugs, no u-u-unp-prot-tected s-s-sex." He disintegrated on the last point.

"Uh, right. So, um..." The doorbell rang.

"Th-that's th-them!" Jeremy cried, scrambling to the door.

"Hey, Miah."

Jeremy gaped. Michael in a suit was  _not_  something he knew he needed, but holy  _shit_ , was it hot.

"Y-you l-look—!! Guh, um, uh—" He gulped hard and turned, dragging Michael inside.

They had been dating for around two and a half weeks now. It certainly helped that their relationship had already had thirteen years to develop, so they didn't have to even think about it most of the time—it just came naturally. It was this kind of moment, however, that reminded Jeremy of the fact that he was now  _allowed_  to acknowledge his...  _Reactions_... To such things as Michael Mell in a suit.

_Yeah, "reactions" being a total boner that I'm kind of glad I don't actually have to deal with! Christ, Heere, save the horniness for later!_

"Look at our boys," Amy, one of Michael's moms, said warmly. June, her wife, sighed.

"All grown up and in love...! Remember our senior prom, May?"

Amy laughed.

"Oh, god, I wish I didn't! Hahah! What a disaster...!"

"What happened?" Michael asked eagerly.

Amy launched into a story, the familiar glint of reminiscince in her eyes.

"So, when your mom and I were in high school, being gay, let alone lesbian, was much less acceptable than it is now. Well, as you can imagine, the rebellious, proud, 18-year-old May and June weren't gonna let that stop 'em. So, we walk through the doors, and the bouncer guy goes, ''ey, yous twos, where's ya boys?' and June says—"

"I don't know, mister, where's your girl?"

Everyone cracked up. Eventually, wiping her eyes, Amy continued.

"Ohh, god, and the night only got sassier from there...!!"

"You know how much I hate to interrupt a good story, Amy," Mr. Heere said, "but these two really oughta get a move on! Pictures, pictures!!"

"Yes, of course!" June said, grinning and patting Amy, who was overcome with tears of laughter, on the back. "Perhaps the men first?"

"Heh, yes, perhaps so. Would you?" He handed June his digital camera.

Once all the pictures were taken and tears of laughter and pride were shed, Jeremy and Michael left the house, both ready to pop with excitement.

"Ready?" Michael asked as they walked to the bus stop.

"Oh my g-god, I'm so much more h-hyped than I th-thought I would be!!" Jeremy squeaked, and Michael twitched, trying HARD to suppress the urge to turn and kiss Jeremy right then and there. The boy was  _too damn cute for his own good._

"I'm super pumped too, man!! This is gonna be a blast. Everyone's gonna be there, right?"

"Yeah, R-Rich and Jake are obviously going together, and B-Brooke and Chloe, and Ch-Chris and Jenna are g-going as friends. And h-holy shit, I'm going with  _you!"_

Michael was silent. He was trying his utmost to focus on the sidewalk ahead, but he couldn't stop a smile from splitting his cheeks.

.•∴✬•✩•✬∴•.

When they arrived in the hotel lobby, it was to find a throng of other teenagers waiting to get into the ballroom. Jeremy clung to Michael's right arm, overflowing with nervous excitement.

"H-holy sh-shiiiit I'm ac-actually h-here with you and o-oh my g-goood this is s-so exciting!"

"Jeremy! Michael! Over here!!"

The boys turned to see an eagerly waving Christine and an excitedly bouncing Jenna making their way towards them.

"H-hey guys!!" Jeremy greeted enthusiastically.

"Seen anyone else?" Michael asked, grinning and adjusting his glasses.

"I mean," Christine said drily,  _"yeah._ Look around you, there's people everywhere."

Jenna shrieked with laughter. She pulled out her phone and began tapping and typing at light speed. Jeremy gave a nervous titter, and Michael snorted.

"S-so, you excited, C-Chrissy?"

"Hell yes!! I can't wait to show off my moves on the dance floor!" She struck a dramatic pose and grinned.

The crowd slowly formed itself into a clumpy line, which then gradually shortened. At some point, Brooke and Chloe arrived. Just before Jeremy and Michael stepped up to the doors, Jake and Rich appeared, panting.

"Tickets? Er..." The man at the door looked troubled as he glanced back and forth between the two boys. Jeremy swallowed nervously and shrank back a bit, hiding halfway behind Michael's shoulder.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Michael asked, smiling politely, though his courteous tone also held a clear note of danger. "My  _boyfriend_ and I have our tickets here."

"Um... Right," the man said. "Hold on a moment." He pulled out a phone and turned partly away from them.

Jeremy looked at Michael, wide-eyed. Michael extracted his arm from Jeremy's grip and wrapped it around his anxious boyfriend's shoulders.

"It's okay,  _liyag._ If they don't wanna let us in, then that's their problem. Don't worry," he murmured, smiling reassuringly. Jeremy nodded and bit his lip nervously.

The man turned back around to address them, scowling.

"Welcome to Middleborough High School's 27th senior prom," he said stiffly, taking their tickets. He pointedly did not hold open the door for them.

"Oh, g-god, I was s-scared for a second th-that he wouldn't let us in," Jeremy said once they were out of earshot, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Hey, if he hadn't, I would've gotten to punch him before we left."

"Wha—?! What f-for!?"

"For freaking you out so much! And for being a homophobe, I guess."

"Y-you d-don't..." Jeremy trailed off, blushing.

"...th-thanks."

Michael grinned and squeezed Jeremy's hand.

"'S my job." He looked around, spotted the drinks table, and smirked. "So, Miah, wanna get some punch?"

"Are we just a-assuming it's s-spiked and int-tentionally g-getting drunk?"

"Maybe."

"H-how responsible of y-you."

"I try. But hey, prom isn't exactly a night known for responsible choices, is it? So why not get caught up in the...  _Spirit_ of it?" He winked.

"WOW. D-don't even st- _start_ with your puns," Jeremy laughed. "A-as long as we d-don't end up missing the b-bus home, I'll r-roll with whatever happens."

"Cool."

They heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Looks like these tables seat eight! Jenna and I will snag one, we're counting on you two for drinks!"

"Okay," Michael called, glancing over his shoulder at Christine and Jenna as they hurried to a round, silver-clad table near the drinks.

"So, f-four cups each," Jeremy said as they arrived at the punch bowl.

"Yup."

They carefully loaded up their arms, then turned and immediately spotted their friends a few tables away.

"Thanks," Chloe said, taking two cups from Jeremy and handing one to Brooke. "So, looked like you guys were the first same-sex couple in?"

"Guess so," Michael said, taking a seat beside Jeremy. "I was about ready to throttle the guy for scaring Jeremy as much as he was."

"Yeah, he looked pretty mad when we got to him," Jenna said, looking up from her phone. "I tweeted about it, while we were standing there waiting for him to finish glowering at us."

"But you two aren't even a couple!" Jake laughed, taking a drink.

"I know! I was just standing there, like, UGH, this is the stupidest ten seconds I've ever had to waste..." She continued talking.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was staring into his punch, trying not to grin too widely. He was at his senior prom with the kindest, smartest, most beautiful person he knew. He felt  _fantastic._

Michael took his hand beneath the table and squeezed it. Jeremy looked up to find a smile on his boyfriend's face. His boyfriend. Just three weeks ago he would never have imagined that he wanted this, but now that he had it, he couldn't fathom how he had managed with just a platonic relationship.

A badly disguised giggle broke the spell and made both boys look up. The whole table was smiling and sniggering, and Jenna smirked at her phone.

"W-what?"

"You were—"

"This." Jenna interrupted, holding out her phone. Jeremy and Michael leaned in to look at what it displayed: a photo of the two of them grinning stupidly at each other, shoulders touching and foreheads inches apart.

"dElETE IT," they cried simultaneously, both making a grab for the phone. Jenna was too quick for them, however, and her grin widened deviously.

"Okay, I'll  _tweet it."_

"F-fuck y-you!!"

"Nooo!!" Michael stood and tried to reach across the table in an attempt to reach the social media maven, but before he could, she chirped, "Sent!" and set her phone face-down on the table. Michael sat back down, looking shocked and betrayed.

"Rolan, you are the spawn of the devil."

"I know!" She replied sweetly.

"Drop it, Headphoneth. The world detherveth to thee that photo."

The defeated couple groaned unhappily.  
  
.•∴✬•✩•✬∴•.   
  
Around 45 minutes after the small dinner was served, the lights slowly dimmed and were replaced by an impressive setup of colorful dance floor lights. The speakers started to play some pleasantly danceable pop song, and people quickly filled up the floor. Jeremy and Michael had stood, but they hovered hesitantly back when they saw how crowded it was.

"M-maybe wait a bit?" Jeremy suggested, glancing over to Michael.

"Definitely. Wanna go loiter by the drinks table?"

"S-sounds good."

The pair made their way to the back wall, hand-in-hand. Pointedly ignoring the boys laughing and hovering over the punch bowl, they leaned against the wall and looked across the room at the crowd on the dance floor.

It was hard not to be a little drunk on the atmosphere, honestly.

Jeremy turned his head to say something to Michael and found him staring. He didn't flinch at Jeremy's gaze.

 _"God,_ you're beautiful," he breathed, barely audible over the music. Jeremy felt his face heat up, but he didn't break their eye contact.

"R-really? You hadn't m-mentioned it," he whispered, the corners of his mouth curving into a smirk.

"I could shut that sassy mouth of yours..."

"Oh, p- _please_ do."

Both leaned heavily into the kiss, but Michael soon pulled back. Jeremy pouted.

"W-what was that f-for? Tease..."

Michael smirked.

"We've got all night. May as well take it slow, right? Anyways, they're done spiking the punch, so..."

"Pff, okay, fine," Jeremy snorted, closely following Michael to the punch bowl.

.•∴✬•✩•✬∴•.  
  
"What the  _fuck!"_ Michael laughed into Jeremy's ear. "Oh my  _god,_ dude, look at Rich!!"

Rich was clutching his stomach, wheezing with laughter. Every time someone tried to talk to him, he laughed even harder.

"W-what the h-hell—?!"

"Oh my  _god_ , he's drunk off his  _ass!"_ Chloe cackled.

"What, like you're  _not?!"_ Jenna guffawed back.

"You wanna g-get away f-from them? Go dance or-or something?" Jeremy asked over the music and their friends' mirth.  
"That sounds  _awesome,_ tbh."   
"Let's go."   
  
.•∴✬•✩•✬∴•.

It had only been three hours or so since the lights had dimmed, and the dance was already beginning to lose its giggling, whispering, probably-not-maybe-sorta-drunk dancers to the nearby hotels, two by two.

With every couple that left, Jeremy grew more nervous. He knew Michael would never do anything Jeremy wasn't comfortable with—that, he had learned many times over the past couple of weeks; he need only widen his eyes for Michael to stop and ask if he had gone too far.

However, Jeremy was still afraid of  _something_ that seemed to loom at the end of the night. With each passing minute, he felt more and more that it would suddenly be upon him and he would freeze up and not know what to do.

Michael pulled him aside in the bathroom, eyes clouded with concern.

"You okay,  _mahal?_ You're real quiet."

"I-I d-d'nno..." Jeremy mumbled.

"Hey, you know I'm not thinking about anything or expecting anything from you, right? If it's getting to be too much, just say the word and I'll get us outta here."

"Y-yeah... Th-thanks."

Michael hugged him and kissed his forehead.

"Wanna take the next slow dance?"

"S-sounds nice."

The couple stepped out onto the dance floor, which was quite empty by now and was made even emptier by the slow song. Perhaps a quarter dozen other pairs remained.

Jeremy laid his head on Michael's shoulder as they slowly swayed back and forth.

"Tired?" Michael whispered.

"Nah," Jeremy breathed back, the corners of his mouth perking up somewhat. "Y-you?"

"I'm  _living,_ dude. Got a cutie on my arm and somebody's mom's vodka in my system. Doesn't get much better than that."

Jeremy gave a quiet, breathy laugh.

 _"Gosh_ , I love you... You're t-too nice t'me..."

"I love you too."

They danced silently for a bit.

"T-to be honest... 'D rather be cuddling in m-my room right now." Jeremy mumbled, the spiked punch giving his speech a slight slur. "Maybe m-making out an' f-feeling each other up a bit, maybe jus' falling 'sleep to sh-shitty '90s romcoms..."

"I get the gist. Wanna head out?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Alright. Come on." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After prom

As it turned out, and not entirely surprisingly, for two overly-hormonal, slightly-drunk teenagers, they ended up going with the first of the proposed options. After creeping into the dark, silent house and making their way up to Jeremy's room, they quickly changed out of their tuxes and almost immediately started kissing.

Over the past couple weeks, Michael had learned how to treat Jeremy's binder when his wandering hands found it, in a way that would minimize any awkwardness: ignore it. He simply acted as though it were a part of Jeremy, so Jeremy could remain comfortable with his sexual identity as a man. (It's not like they had gone further than touching through their pants when it came to the lower half of their bodies. That was the end of Jeremy's comfort zone, and in Michael's opinion, the one comfort zone that should never be violated is the sexual one.) Jeremy had never removed the binder in front of Michael.

Today, however, was different. Jeremy had put on the binder a notch tighter than usual, because he had been self-conscious in the tuxedo. This also meant that his chest now ached like a motherfucker and it was getting kind of hard to breathe.

Gently pushing Michael away, he glanced around sheepishly. He looked balefully at Michael, gesturing that his chest hurt due to the binder. Michael nodded, eyes wide with sympathy, then mimed undoing the hooks and mouthed,  _need help?_ Jeremy bit his lip, the color rising in his face and neck, then nodded. Trying to control his nervous, restricted breathing, he momentarily closed his eyes before lifting up one side of his nightshirt to reveal the set of hooks on the side of the undergarment. Michael sought one last look of confirmation, then delicately set about undoing the hooks.

With each hook freed from its loop, it became clearer and clearer to Michael the amount of grit it must take to wear the binder every day.  _If it takes that much force to compress the mass of his breasts... That's gotta hurt... God, poor Jere..._ The last hook was carefully undone, and Michael gently pulled the binder off of his boyfriend through the neck of his nightshirt.

Folding it and setting it aside with one hand, he then turned back to Jeremy and offered his arms. Jeremy gazed hesitantly at him for a moment before assuming the positioning they'd had before and shyly resuming the kiss. His hands found their way beneath Michael's waistband, whose sensitive skin was giving him thrills. Michael's hands were drifting lightly over Jeremy's now completely bare back. Jeremy shivered slightly when a hand brushed against a previously covered patch of back. Michael withdrew for a moment to make sure Jeremy was still alright with everything that was happening.

"Hey, that okay?" he breathed.

Jeremy nodded fervently, eyes wide in the dark room.

"'S r-really... I like it," he whispered. "M-my muscles are r-really... Sore."

"Okay. Just makin' sure."

Jeremy smiled.

"I r-really, _really_ appreciate th-that."

"I'm just trying to respect you,  _giliw..._ My  _anghel."_

Jeremy smiled anew at the unique way Michael's lips moved around his first language, like it was a physical thing he produced in his mouth.

"J-jeez... You a- _are_ beautiful..." Jeremy whispered, then giggled. "I'm not sure w-whether I like you better w-with or without that shirt..."

"Really now...?" Michael smirked. "Well... Maybe I can make it easier to decide..."

"Please," Jeremy replied breathlessly, falling back into the kiss once more.

.•∴✬•✩•✬∴•.

Jeremy and Michael awoke together to the soft  _tmp_  of the bedroom door being quietly shut.

They were tangled comfortably among a mess of blankets. Their faces were barely a centimeter apart; they had apparently fallen asleep still kissing. Michael was mostly on top of Jerermy. His arms crossed Jeremy's back, one under his nightshirt and one over. Jeremy's legs were loosely wrapped around Michael's, and his arms were draped around Michael's bare torso. Jeremy's soft brown hair was in an even worse state than his usual morning bedhead. This was likely due in part to not having washed out his hair gel. Spending half the night engrossed in an intense, intimate makeout session probably didn't help, either.

 _"Magandang umaga mahal ko,"_  Michael said in a soft, singsong voice, kissing Jeremy on the cheek. "You gotta leggo of me, bush baby. 'M too tired to carry you."

"Mmmrrrrggh," Jeremy groaned, reluctantly relinquishing his grip on his boyfriend (reminiscent of that of a bush baby on a branch, hence the unusual pet name).

Michael stood, stretching. As he leaned over Jeremy to get his sweatshirt and glasses from the bed, he glanced down to see a displeased squint on his tousle-haired boyf's face. He laughed, pulling the sweatshirt over his head and putting on his glasses.

"No, bush baby, I'm all worn out from dancing. Come on, it's Saturday. Help me make pancakes?"

"P-pancakes! J-jeez, I'm r-really hungry a-all of a sudden..."

"None can resist the call of a Mell-made flapjack!"

"Pff... Oh—Wait, h-hang on," Jeremy muttered, stumbling to his feet and picking his way over to his closet. All the while, he grumbled under his breath about the physics of the human body. Rummaging through a drawer of binders, he finally found what he was looking for—one of the two sports bras he still owned. He kept them around for just such a day as today; he needed support, not pressure. Using his nightshirt as a changing room, he pulled the stretchy fabric over his head and arms, then pulled his shirt back down. Pausing only to look down at his chest and make a small noise of distaste, he made his way back over to Michael and took his proffered hand.

"Mornin', boys. You have a good time last night?" Mr. Heere glanced up from his morning paper, smiling paternally.

"Y-yeah," Jeremy said firmly, grinning. "The punch was d-definitely spiked—"

"—oh,  _definitely_. Everyone got shitfaced to some degree."

"Th-the music was m-mostly pretty terrible—"

"—but there were some decent slow dances!"

"Oh, god, you sh-shoulda seen Rich, h-he's a giggly d-drunk—"

"—AND CHRISTINE!! Oh my god, she was storming around starting drunken arguments about Shakespeare!"

"Hey, at l-least it seemed like most of us are pretty mellow d-drunks. Jake, and Jenna and—"

"Wait, but Brooke and I didn't get drunk!"

"B-Brooke was chasing Chloe around to st-stop her from s-seducing every vaguely h-human-like object she saw—"

"OH GOD I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!! CHLOE TRIED TO FLIRT WITH A LAMP! And she got all mad and stalked away saying it was giving her the silent treatment!"

"Okay but I j-just remember l-leaving a little early, w-why—"

"You, Jeremiah Heere, are the world's cutest sleepy drunk. You basically dozed off on my shoulder during a slow dance!"

"Sh-shuddup!"

"I carried you home from the bus stop cause you fell asleep on the bus."

"S-staahhpp!!"

"You certainly seemed to be awake enough the rest of the—"

"Sh- _sh-shUT UP,,,,"_  Jeremy squawked desperately, flailing slightly. Michael fell silent, still grinning broadly. Jeremy was nine shades of red at once, and Mr. Heere chuckled, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, it sounds like a good time was had by all... Except poor Brooke, I suppose. Now," he said, his tone and expression growing more serious, "I trust that you made good choices?" His gaze met Jeremy's momentarily, and they seemed to have some silent exchange of words between father and son.

Jeremy's face was unreadable for a moment as he thought back. He had never left Michael's side. He knew that Michael would not have allowed him to make poor choices. He made eye contact with Michael, a question in his eyes, and Michael smiled reassuringly and squeezed his hand.  _You're all good,_ mahal _. I kept you safe last night._

Jeremy looked back at his father.

"Y-yeah," he said, with more confidence than even he had expected. "Y-yeah, we d-did."

Mr. Heere smiled at them, shooting Michael a knowing wink.

"Excellent. Now, what's this I hear about pancakes...?"

**Author's Note:**

> *wheezes* okay babychawlie that might be the best I can do for smut. Hope it was worth the wait and my night without sleep !!
> 
> ALSO  
> Thank you to EmeraldCitysGoneToHell and bemorechill for ~~screaming about~~ BETA READING this !!!!!!
> 
> AND ONE MORE THING:  
> All my prayers to y'alls in south Florida hunkering down for Hurricane Irma! Your dedication to this ship is truly admirable if you're reading this while sheltering or evacuating :'D PLEASE STAY SAFE EVERYONE!!! I love you all, so so much, please plan for the worst and get out before Irma makes landfall!! Watch the traffic and be smart! Kisses, hugs, and prayers for you and yours! Once again, stay safe!


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